Fallen
by baker's huntress
Summary: "Ward used to wish Fitz would stop giving cutesy names to his creations. Now he wished he'd never made that first wish."
1. Introduction

**Fallen**

Summary: "Ward used to wish Fitz would stop giving cutesy names to his creations. Now he wished he'd never made that first wish."

Disclaimer: Anything pertaining to _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ does not belong to me.

A/N: This story is part of the same headcanon as "Beliefs" and "Conscience." I want to say that you don't have to read those stories to understand this one, but my mind's been in this headcanon for the past several weeks that I'm not sure anymore if a person jumping into this third part of the series will get some of the references. Not so much with the first chapter, but later on. Prepare for some AU and some OOC-ness. I had to create/change the backstory of the characters to fit my needs.

Also, I dedicate this story to **emmy-kent** who asked for some SkyeWard. When I first thought of this concept, it was a solely FitzSimmons one-shot. But then I incorporated SkyeWard, which made this story longer. And next thing I knew, I was writing my first multi-chapter fic.

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**Chapter 1: Introduction**

Grant Ward was a genius. Sure, he wasn't the typical type of genius that anyone—_everyone_—would first think about. But he didn't graduate at the top of his class at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Academia of Operations because of his strong jaw and high cheekbones (though those did help during his training in espionage, subterfuge, and reconnaissance).

No, Grant Ward wasn't just a pretty face. His talents in hand-to-hand combat and weaponry were first noticed by S.H.I.E.L.D. when he was in basic training. (He'd signed up for the Marines straight out of high school hoping to finally escape his childhood home.) Add to that his courage and quick, strategic thinking; and before basic training was even over, he'd found himself a freshman at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy. By his second year, he was one of a select few chosen to be trained as a Specialist. And though many envied him, he was a genuinely nice guy (when he wanted to be) and was, therefore, still generally well liked. In fact, he was one of the most popular cadets in Operations.

And his popularity among his peers grew when, during a particularly nasty stint in their rivalry against the Science and Technology division in his junior year, he'd become the only Operations cadet to successfully infiltrate SciTech's main building and steal their mascot. Well…it wasn't exactly a mascot. It was a bust of Howard Stark. But it was regarded highly important to those SciTech cadets. That one successful "mission" not only made him a legend to all cadets in all academic divisions of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it also impressed the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academia Board of Trustees so much that they graduated him a year early.

Even though it has been five years since he's been a cadet at the academy, he still held onto that pro-Ops attitude.

So it came as a disappointment when he found out that a promotion to Level 7 was contingent to joining a _team_ (even though he'd been working as a solo operative for the past three years) that consisted of not one but _two_ SciTech graduates. And not just any two SciTech graduates, but _FitzSimmons_.

Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons were as much a legend to the academies as he was. One year after Ward had graduated, a former instructor informed him that a pair of _freshmen_ SciTech cadets had managed to infiltrate the Operations' base and vandalize their common room. And by vandalized, Ward meant that FitzSimmons had covered every square foot of their pristine and orderly common area with streamers depicting the Union Jack.

But a promotion to Level 7 was a pretty big deal, and he wasn't going to let two SciTech grads stop him from becoming the youngest Level 7 agent in S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, though he'd never say it aloud, it was a bit of an ego boost to know that he was now privy to intel that not even the Avengers themselves were privy to (i.e. Coulson lives).

As much as he hated to admit it, being part of the team wasn't all that unappealing. For one, he was now working directly under Agent Phil Coulson. That in itself was enough to cause a spark of excitement to course through Ward's otherwise stoic self. But then to find out the Cavalry (a.k.a. _Melinda May_) was also part of the team…well, he was grateful his training had stopped him from jumping up and doing a fist pump in his elation.

Of course, there were a few setbacks during the infancy of the team's formation. First of which was that FitzSimmons were as pro-SciTech as he was pro-Ops. And they definitely knew his reputation as much as he knew theirs. He found that out during their first meeting when Fitz destroyed his _brand new_ comm receiver with excessive and _unnecessary_ brutality. Sure, it was probably true that the external receiver was no longer needed as long as he could identify the I.S. chip or whatever, like they'd claimed. But then, why did the swab Simmons forced into his mouth to supposedly collect a sample of his DNA to match to an embedded sensory neural set up have such an unpleasant, bitter taste to it? It had to have been a retaliation of some sort due to the rivalry. Of course, Ward had no proof that it was. And he was too busy forcing himself _not_ to wipe the bitterness from his tongue that he couldn't think of his own revenge at the time.

Another setback, in Ward's opinion, was the presence of an untrained, civilian hacktivist named Skye. It was bad enough that he already had to play babysitter to FitzSimmons, who had not passed their field assessments. But at least they had gone through some sort of training at a S.H.I.E.L.D. academy. Skye was an unknown. Yet, Coulson took her on as a consultant. With two scientists unfit for combat, a civilian that could pose more of a liability than an asset, and a specialist who didn't even want to be there; Ward didn't have high hopes for Coulson's ragtag team.

But then the BUS was taken over, and their leader was taken hostage.

Suddenly, all their differences did not matter. They had a common goal…and a common enemy. For the first time, they started thinking and working together as a team. The outcome was their success in retaking the BUS, defeating the enemy, and freeing Coulson.

Over the weeks and months, with each passing mission or trial the team accomplished or overcame, Ward learned to trust his teammates more and more. As a result, he began to become less impassive around them. He even started regarding them as friends. And he had to admit—if only to himself—after years of caring only for the good of the agency and the success of his current mission, it was nice to have _people_ to care about again. And even more so, it was nice to have people who cared about him as a person, not just as an agent. Somehow, the team he initially didn't want anything to do with had become his new family.

So when Coulson called the team together to inform them that Simmons had been drugged and kidnapped from her room at the New York City hotel hosting the Annual Review of Chemistry/Biochemistry seminar, it felt as if the BUS had gone into freefall and all happiness had been sucked dry from the plane's cabin.


	2. Residual Effects

**Fallen**

Summary: "Ward used to wish Fitz would stop giving cutesy names to his creations. Now he wished he'd never made that first wish."

Disclaimer: Anything pertaining to _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ does not belong to me.

A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed, favorited, kudosed, and followed/subscribed to my story! I hope you liked the little bit of humor from the intro; but from this point on, I'm turning up the drama. Also, this chapter will have a reference to my story "Conscience." Hopefully, I explained enough so you won't get too lost if you haven't read it.

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**Chapter 2: Residual Effects**

Surprisingly enough, after May and Coulson, it was Skye who kept it together best.

Ever since Ward touched the Berserker staff, certain triggers would dredge up his most painful memories. Sometimes, the uncontrollable anger would resurface as well. Luckily, this wasn't one of those times. But the kidnapping of the person he'd come to view as his younger sister triggered flashbacks of the well. The feelings of hopelessness, fear, self-disgust, and uselessness filled his mind to a crippling degree. He was so lost in the image of his younger brother struggling to stay afloat, _begging_ for his help as he stood from up above just watching that he did not notice Skye until she sat on his bed. He really shouldn't have been surprised that she knew the code to get into his bunk. But instead of getting irritated, he was actually glad that she barged into his room. She provided a distraction from the negative thoughts plaguing his head.

"I need you to watch over Fitz." It did not sound like a request. And the serious look on her face confirmed it. Ward sat up slowly and leaned back against the wall behind him.

"Why?" She gave him an incredulous look.

"What do you mean 'why'? Simmons has been kidnapped!"

"Exactly. We should be worried about finding clues on where Simmons is being held."

"Oh, have you found any clues laying in your bed for the last half-hour?" Ward did not appreciate her sarcasm, and fixed her with a glare. She threw a glare right back at him.

Inwardly, Ward was impressed. The Skye that first joined the team would have backed down almost immediately. But this new, stronger (and regrettably more embattled) Skye was not afraid to fight back. Eventually, it was Ward who turned away and broke eye contact. He heard Skye give a sigh before she spoke.

"Ward…what the hell is going on with you?" Through all her frustration, Ward was still able to hear the worry in her voice. "I've never seen you like this before. You're actually _moping_." He wouldn't look at her, and he didn't know how to answer her. So he remained silent. "Look Grant, whatever you're feeling for Jemma, you have to get over it. You _know_ that she's in love with Leo, and Leo is in love with her. It's just a matter of time before they admit it to themselves…and hopefully just a little longer until they finally admit it to each other. I…I don't want you to get hurt."

Skye's little speech caused Ward to snap his head in her direction. He tried to open his mouth to say something—_anything—_to correct the very inaccurate conclusion she'd jumped to. But he was too shocked to form words.

"I didn't even know you liked her like that," she continued. "If I had, I wouldn't have brought up that bet….I'm sorry." The last time he'd heard her sound that apologetic was after the whole ordeal involving her ex-boyfriend, Miles Lydon.

And that bet—it hadn't even crossed his mind since they were told of Simmons' kidnapping. It was more like a game than a bet, really. Skye came up with it a few weeks back. She teamed up with May, leaving him with Coulson. The bet was simple. The teams alternated weeks. If either Fitz or Simmons confessed or made a move during a team's designated week, that team won. But when a couple of weeks had passed them by with no real progress in the duo's romantic side of their relationship, the teams turned the simple bet into a game. Instead of passively waiting for _something_ to happen, each team would spend their designated seven days setting up events that would encourage Fitz and/or Simmons to finally confess their non-platonic feelings. Just last week, May deliberately landed the BUS at the Chicago S.H.I.E.L.D. office for refueling because it was situated about twenty miles from Little Italy. Simmons and Skye, under the pretense of some "girl time," were able to escape the guys and drove off to Little Italy where Simmons was able to purchase the necessary ingredients for Fitz's favorite sandwich. May's and Skye's ploy had worked brilliantly. And they would have won if it wasn't for some quick thinking on Coulson's part.

Of course, with Simmons' kidnapping, the bet had been put on hold. Why would Skye bring up the bet now?

Oh, that's right. Because she thought he was in love with Simmons. Perhaps he should correct her.

"I'm not in love with Simmons!" Ward cringed when he heard just how vehement his words had come out. "I'm not in love with her," he repeated more calmly. "I would never do that to Fitz. I just…." Ward _really_ hated talking about _feelings_. "Simmons is like a sister to me. I'm supposed to be able to protect her. That's what I do. I'm supposed to be able to protect you guys. But once again, I _failed_."

"We don't always need you to protect us. And Simmons was ambushed and outnumbered. We aren't as helpless as you think, you know. And why are you even blaming yourself? You weren't even there!"

"But I should have been! Or at least one of us should have been." He looked away again. The effects of the Berserker staff were increasing steadily as their conversation went on. His frustrations were slowly morphing into anger, and he didn't want to be angry with Skye trapped with him in such small quarters. He breathed in deeply to force himself to calm down.

"It's the Berserker staff again, isn't it? Its residual effects—they're affecting you again?" Ward let out an incredulous laugh devoid of any real humor.

"Aside from you thinking that I was into Simmons, you really _are_ a genius when it comes to all this intuitive crap, aren't you?"

"Well, what was I suppose to think? I've never seen you mope before," she said in her defense. Then her expression turned somber. "So that's why you're cooped up here in your bunk? The Berserker staff is messing with your head?" He nodded.

"Yeah. But at least there's no anger. Not so much, anyway. The _memories,_ though…they won't stop playing in my head."

"Then you need a distraction." She stood up from the bed and faced him. "Come on. You go to the lab and watch over Fitz. I'll keep looking for clues on where Simmons is being held." Ward furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Wouldn't it be better if we both looked for Simmons? She's the one missing after all." Skye let out an exasperated sigh.

"Don't you get it, Ward? The moment we lost Simmons, we started losing Fitz as well."


	3. Musings

**Fallen**

Summary: "Ward used to wish Fitz would stop giving cutesy names to his creations. Now he wished he'd never made that first wish."

Disclaimer: Anything pertaining to _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ does not belong to me.

A/N: Thanks again to all those who reviewed/commented, favorited, kudosed, and followed/subscribed to my story! Sorry for the delay. Real life is really distracting. Well, that and the Super Bowl. That's the championship game for America's National Football League (NFL), in case you didn't know. I'm so proud to be from Seattle. Go Seahawks!

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**Chapter 3: Musings**

It turned out that Skye was right.

In the eight hours since being informed that Simmons had been taken, Fitz hadn't left their lab. He spent all those hours tinkering with his gadgets. The rest of the team had silently agreed to leave him be. If this was the distraction he needed to keep himself together until they received news of Simmons' whereabouts, then none of them were going to stop or disturb him.

But looking at him from the other side of the glass doors, Ward realized someone should have been with him the whole time.

The lab was a mess. Pieces of metal and wiring and instruments were strewn on every tabletop. And Fitz looked…unlike himself. He'd removed his tie and jumper and rolled up the sleeves of his dark blue button-down shirt. And his expression was overly serious and determined. The last time Ward had ever seen him look like that was when Simmons had been infected with a deadly alien virus.

Another bout of self-disgust stabbed through Ward's being. He'd allowed himself to be crippled by his despair at not being able to save his adopted sister that he'd unknowingly abandoned his adopted brother. But Ward knew he couldn't succumb to the negative feelings brought on and intensified by the residual effects of the Berserker staff. He'd failed in the past. But he refused to fail _this_ brother. Not again, at least. With that thought in mind, he entered the lab.

Fitz looked up from the soldering he was doing when the lab doors swooshed open.

"W-ward?" His voiced was raspy from disuse. He cleared his throat and swallowed. "What are you doing here?"

His voice was still raspy, most likely because his mouth was dry. That meant Fitz hadn't drunk anything in quite a while; which most likely also meant he hadn't eaten anything recently either.

Ward frowned. But quickly caught himself and assumed a more neutral expression.

"I was wondering if you'd join me for lunch."

"I'm not hungry."

"Coulson's in the Ops Center talking to Headquarters, May's too busy flying the plane, and Skye's doing her thing. Just eat with me for a few minutes. I'll even make the sandwiches." Fitz looked hesitant.

"I don't know….I've got things to finish up."

"It'll only be a few minutes," Ward insisted. And though he hated doing it, he decided a bit of manipulation was necessary. So he took on an expression that was slightly more somber. "It's just…the BUS has been too quiet, you know?"

"Yea," Fitz said softly a few seconds later, a faraway look on his face. "I know."

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They ate in the kitchen. Fitz hadn't wanted to eat on the dinning table, and suggested they eat standing up. Ward knew Fitz's hesitance to eat in the dinning area was because the last time he'd eaten there was with Simmons the night before they dropped her off in New York for the seminar. And Ward only knew that piece of information since he and the rest of the team (sans Simmons) were spying on the duo from the cockpit.

The two ate in silence. Fitz still looked distant. But at least he was eating the ham and Swiss cheese sandwich Ward had made and drinking some orange juice. To Ward, that was a huge accomplishment.

But because they didn't speak, Ward's mind began to wander. And due to recent events triggering the Berserker staff's effects, his mind wandered to his darkest thoughts. Ward tried thinking of anything and everything to deter them. Somehow, he ended up thinking about their resident hacker.

Out of all his teammates, Skye had surprised him the most. She was proving to be a great asset despite her lack of formal S.H.I.E.L.D. training. And though she had a slow start in her crash course to becoming a field agent, she eventually got a hang of the exercises Ward put her through. And it only took a relatively short amount of time for her to learn the agency's protocols. Getting her to follow those protocols was another matter.

But whenever she was needed, Skye would rise to the occasion. After all, it was because of her that they were able to find Coulson when Centipede had taken him. And she'd found his location despite having a tracking bracelet hindering her every step of the way. Furthermore, in the process of saving Coulson, they were also able to capture one of the Clairvoyant's top agents.

It was that whole feat that forced Ward to finally acknowledge Skye for the strong, resourceful, and capable woman that she was.

And that acknowledgement brought on a whole new set of problems for the stoic agent—for Grant Ward was highly attracted to strong women.

He'd deduced quite some time ago that his attraction to strong-willed women had stemmed from his mother. Ward had grown up in a less than ideal environment. His father was an abusive drunk. And his older brother, who followed in their father's footsteps, was a bully. He'd often force Ward to bully their youngest brother under the threat of getting beat up himself if he did not comply. To his great shame, Ward gave in more often than not. He hated himself for doing so, and took no pleasure in his younger brother's cries.

He'd often run to their mother for help. He'd begged her to make all the abuse stop. But in the end, she was too weak to do anything. She was too weak to save him and his younger brother. When his brother committed suicide in his early teens due to his depression, Ward finally realized she wasn't ever going to save him. And he gave up on her.

To finally escape his so-called family, Ward enlisted in the Marines. A short while later, he was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. During his training, he'd been introduced to a different breed of women—women who were strong and capable. Who took no crap from any man. Who could throw him over their shoulders even if he was heavier and taller. Who spoke their minds and knew what they wanted.

It was highly…_fascinating_ to his, then, eighteen-year-old self. And it _still_ fascinated him.

So when Melinda May—one of the most kick-ass women he knew—left her hotel door open for him, how could he resist?

It was purely physical, of course. The effects of the Berserker staff were strong at the time, and they both needed to work out their aggression. He just never thought he'd be working it out of his system _that_ way. Surprisingly, it was helping the both of them keep control of their anger. And for just a short while (okay, not _that_ short a while), they didn't have to deal with the horrific memories they were being forced to relive.

But as time went on, the effects started to wane, and they needed each other _that_ _way_ less and less. Eventually, they both mutually agreed to end whatever it was they had.

And then Skye had been thrown out of the BUS by Agent Hand. When she returned, she was suddenly different in Ward's eyes. And Ward was _beyond_ fascinated. This time, Ward knew the woman. Like, _actually_ knew her. He's worked with her. He's trained her. He's joked around with her. He's played Battleship with her. He knew her faults and her strengths. He's seen her cry, and comforted her. He'd insulted her and was horribly rude to her, but she still managed to forgive him and remain his friend. This time, feelings—romantic feeling—were involved.

Feelings that were one-sided. Unrequited. Feeling that would probably never be returned….

His thoughts were heading towards darker waters again. Luckily, Fitz chose that moment to speak up.

"You finished?"

Ward looked down at the plate in his hand. Aside from a few bread crumbs, it was empty.

"Guess I am," he answered. "You heading back to the lab?" Fitz nodded, though he wasn't looking in Ward's direction. "I'll head down with you, then." At that, Fitz turned towards him with a frown.

"I know what you're doing, Ward. And you don't have to do that. I'm—

"I'm going to punch you if you tell me you're fine." He was joking. Mostly.

"All right, I'm _not_ fine. But I also don't want you hovering over me like a mother hen."

"Now I'm definitely going to punch you for calling me a 'hen.' And a 'mother,' for that matter."

"Oh, you know what I meant!" Fitz actually looked a bit scared that he was really going to punch him, so Ward eased up on his macho act and gave a smile.

"Ok. No punching. But I'm still hanging out with you in your lab."

"Why?"

The genuine curiosity on Fitz face bothered Ward. Ever since he'd lash out at the younger man so soon after touching the Berserker staff, their relationship had regressed. Fitz would even avoid him. Though he'd been subtle about doing so, Ward still noticed. It saddened him to know that he destroyed all progress they've made in their friendship during their mission in Ossetia. Ward decided it was time he finally did something to rectify that.

"Because you're my friend. And I've left you hurting alone long enough."

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A/N2: Sorry for the MayWard in this chapter, SkyeWard fans. But we've got to get through that whole May thing before SkyeWard can happen. At least I ended that thing with May quickly...unlike the show.


	4. The Fall

**Fallen**

Summary: "Ward used to wish Fitz would stop giving cutesy names to his creations. Now he wished he'd never made that first wish."

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the tv shows or movies I referenced in this story.

A/N: I really appreciate all those who took the time to favorite/bookmark, kudos, follow/subscribe to, and (especially) review/comment on my story. Thank you! This chapter is my longest so far. Every time I read through it to edit, I added something more. So I'm just going to post it before I do another read-through and make it even longer.

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**Chapter 4: The Fall**

After his statement, Fitz remained silent for what seemed like several minutes; though Ward knew it couldn't have been more than fifteen seconds. The engineer wouldn't look at him. And Ward, having just relived his younger brother's death in his head, felt an irrational fear that Fitz would reject him—that he'd lost another brother.

"Just don't complain about the mess," Fitz replied hurriedly. He didn't even wait for a reply before leading the way back to the lab. It took a moment for Ward to register what had happened before he released a breath he had not realized he'd been holding and followed after.

Once they entered the lab, Fitz returned to the soldering he was doing before they had left for lunch. Ward cleared a stack of papers from one of the stools and sat down. Then he realized he didn't have anything to do, and the silence grew awkward.

"Is that one of the D.W.A.R.F.'s?" he asked, wanting to break the silence.

"No." Ward was more than a little surprised when Fitz didn't elaborate. Under normal circumstances, a question regarding his inventions would be followed by a stream of scientific jargon that would make Ward regret asking in the first place. Of course, these weren't normal circumstances. And Fitz's unwillingness to talk about his latest creation only made the worry he felt for his friend grow. But before he could even decide on what to say next, his thoughts were interrupted by the swooshing of the lab doors followed by two sets of hurried footsteps. Coulson and Skye entered the lab. But Skye reached Ward and Fitz first. Though her eyes looked tired, there was a genuine smile on her face.

"I think I found Jemma!"

Immediately, Fitz dropped his soldering gun, and walked around the bench to stand directly in front of her, his posture rigid and his expression serious. He looked like he'd graduated from the Academia of Operations. In any other circumstance, Ward would have been proud.

"Where?" There was a hint of a command in Fitz's voice. But Skye—either in her excitement of her discovery or in her empathy of the engineer's plight—chose to ignore it and kept her poise.

"Sicily." She went up to the nearest computer and brought up several images on the view screen. As she continued her explanation, she enlarged a corresponding satellite image. "I was searching for properties that may be owned by Ian Quinn, and found out he inherited a vineyard from his maternal grandmother. He left it under his grandmother's maiden name, so it took a while for me to find it. Plus, the dude's got properties _everywhere_. I lucked out and stumbled on this vineyard. Apparently, it had been abandoned for years after a strange fungus destroyed all the grapes. But within the last several hours, there'd been a sudden use of electricity by the main villa. Satellite images show armored vehicles coming in and out of the area. And there seems to be a lot of people surrounding the perimeter. They're most likely guards."

"May said she could get us there in two hours," Coulson added. "Seven Ops teams have been dispatched to the location already. They'll get there about an hour before we do. They'll do some reconnaissance first then hold off on engaging until we arrive. We will rendezvous with them ten miles from the villa, and then we'll use vehicles to get within half a mile. We'll travel the rest of the way on foot.

"But before meeting up with them, we'll pass overhead as low as we can get without being detected and get some aerial shots of the area. We need to gather all possible intel before we can finalize the plan. Headquarters wants us to capture Quinn." Fitz was about to protest, but Coulson held up a hand to silence him. "I assure you, Fitz, saving Simmons' is our main priority. And I've already made Headquarters aware of that. They weren't happy about it, but I'm not budging on that. So they decided to send seven Ops teams instead. They'll assist us in saving her when given the chance, of course. But they have a different priority." Fitz nodded at Coulson's reassurance, but his jaw remained clenched. "Are the external cameras operational?"

"Yes, sir. I installed them myself last month. Have any Centipede soldiers been detected, sir?" Skye answered before Coulson could.

"The satellite can't zoom in _that_ close. Trust me. I've tried. I'm hoping the aerial shots we take from here will be better than the satellite images."

"They will be, I promise you that," Fitz said with great certainty and more than a hint of arrogance. "I designed those cameras. And if there _are_ any Centipede super soldiers, we'll be ready for 'em."

He walked towards the other side of the lab to retrieve two cases—one the size of a carry-on luggage, the other the size of a briefcase. He set them atop the littered table at the center of the lab and opened them. Then he placed the drone he'd been soldering inside the larger case. Ward and the others moved closer to see what Fitz was up to.

"What do you have there, Fitz?" Coulson asked. The engineer simply turned both opened cases towards them.

In the larger case were a total of four drones that looked similar to the D.W.A.R.F.'s. And in the smaller case were two…well, Ward didn't know what they were. But they were shaped like a gun, having a grip and a barrel of some sort. Though, to Ward, the only gun it resembled was a glue gun. From his right, Skye let out an excited gasp.

"Oh my god! Did you just make a _phaser_?" Ward looked down at her in confusion.

"A what?"

"A phaser. Like in Star Trek." Ward was barely able to contain his surprise.

"You're a _Trekkie_?" She looked up at him with a glare. He guessed he didn't hide his surprise as well as he thought.

"What's wrong with that?" she asked, getting defensive. "Have you _seen_ Chris Pine? And Zachary Quinto? I've watched some of the tv shows as well, and they're actually pretty good."

"Let's stay focused here, please," Coulson interrupted, much to Ward's relief. He knew how fanatic Skye could get, and now was not the time to get into another debate regarding fictional characters.

"Is she right, Fitz? Did you actually construct a phaser?" Coulson sounded both impressed and hopeful. Ward wondered if he was the only one on board the BUS that wasn't into science fiction.

"Well…I've constructed two." The cautious way Fitz said those words had Ward on alert.

"That is so cool, Fitz!" Ward stared at Skye incredulously. How could _she_, the most intuitive one on the team, miss that Fitz was hiding something? Her fanaticism would be her downfall. Ward made a note to have her work on that as part of her training.

"And technically," Fitz continued in the same wary tone, "They're more like the _blasters_ from Star Wars than the _phasers_ from Star Trek."

"What do you mean?" Skye asked tentatively, her previous enthusiasm melting away.

"Well, these only have one setting. And that one setting isn't_ stun_." Fitz fixed her with a hard look, urging her to finish his thought. Skye apparently understood, and does so in a whisper.

"It's set to kill." Fitz nodded.

"The technology for phasers hasn't been invented yet. I basically created hand-held laser guns. They'll shoot out high-powered laser beams that will cut through…anything, really. Given enough time to penetrate the object, that is. But the beams should penetrate through flesh almost instantaneously." His explanation was frank and unapologetic, just like his expression.

A foreboding feeling overcame Ward, and he was actually fearful for his friend. From his right, he heard Skye suck in a breath. Coulson stared at the young engineer for several seconds, his expression impassive.

Until that moment, Ward never realized just how far lost they've allowed Fitz to become. That revelation left him unable to speak.

"And those?" Coulson asked, nodding towards the drones. "What do they do?" Fitz grabbed a tablet from inside the case. After a few taps, the drones came to life and floated in midair.

"These two," he tapped the tablet and a pair of drones floated higher, "work together by releasing an electrical pulse between them. Anything caught in it would be electrocuted. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to fine tune the electrical pulse."

"So it isn't strong enough?" Skye sounded hopeful. But Fitz quickly squashed that hope.

"Too strong actually. But it'll be more than enough to take out a Centipede super soldier."

"And the other two?" Ward was feeling a whole new respect for Coulson, for he was the only one still able to remain composed after hearing the words coming from Fitz's mouth.

"They shoot out darts laced with dendrotoxin."

Coulson's next words were careful and deliberately deceptive.

"You know how to do Simmons' technique in diluting the dendrotoxin? Impressive. She tried explaining the process to me. It sounded complicated."

Fitz met the challenge head on, and answered in a tone that would have been serene if it weren't for the piercing stare he gave Coulson.

"I _am_ familiar with the process. I just haven't practiced it. Hadn't the need to with Simmons being there. And even if I did, it would take me a couple hours to do what she could have done in a few minutes. I didn't have that kind of time."

"So the darts are laced with undiluted dendrotoxin?" It was rhetorical. Fitz didn't bother responding. "Isn't that lethal?"

"Only if it touches your skin."

For the past several hours, Ward had been fighting to keep control of his emotions. And because of the Berserker staff's residual effects, he believed he was doing an exceptional job keeping in control. But with Fitz's unfeeling and coldhearted words, Ward feared that they'd lost Fitz. Add that on top of his worry over Simmons, and Ward was starting to loose control.

His breath started to become shallower as his heart rate increased. He forced himself not to shut his eyes, but his hands balled into fists on their own accord. He thought to himself that this was probably how Dr. Bruce Banner must feel like whenever the Hulk was about to emerge.

But before he completely lost himself to his rage, he felt a smaller hand grab his right fist. It startled him enough to cause him to unclench his hand. And the smaller hand took the opportunity to work itself into his and intertwine their fingers. He looked down at Skye, who was looking up at him in concern.

And that was all Ward needed to reign in his emotions. He took a deep, yet silent, breath to completely calm himself. Then he sent her a small, grateful smile. She returned a smile of her own before turning her attention back to Fitz and Coulson.

But she did not let go of his hand.

Ward did not care if it was only to keep him centered. And he knew that when this was all over, he'd be overanalyzing the meaning behind her handholding. But in that moment, he was just grateful for the comfort of her hand connected with his.

He turned his attention back to Coulson and Fitz. In their silent battle of wills, both men failed to notice what had transpired with him.

"Fitz, I cannot allow you to use these weapons."

"May I ask why not, sir?"

"Because I know how much you will regret it if you do." Skye found her voice before Ward did, and backed up their superior officer.

"Fitz, you know that if Simmons were here, she won't want you doing this either." Her words broke Fitz's indifferent persona. He turned a glare in her direction.

"Well, Simmons isn't here, is she? She's been taken! And I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her back!"

Ward stepped protectively in front of Skye to place himself between her and the angry Scot. His protectiveness over her brought out his voice.

"But not like this, Fitz! If you do, there is no going back!"

"I don't care!"

Skye let out an exasperated groan. Then, much to his disappointment, she let go of Ward's hand so she could use both of hers to grab his right side and push him out of her way. With surprising strength, she was able to get Ward off-balance enough that he took a step to his left. She then walked directly in front of Fitz.

"But _we_ do! Simmons isn't the only one who cares about you, Fitz! We're your friends, too. And Simmons would never forgive us if we didn't stop you from doing this."

"Enough!" Coulson exclaimed, letting his calm façade go. "Fitz, you are not to use these weapons. That is an order."

"With all due respect, sir, if there _are_ Centipede soldiers down at that villa, and there most likely will be, we'll need these weapons to beat them."

"Then you have a little less than two hours to do that fine-tuning you were talking about and make them non-lethal. And if that's not enough time to make the necessary modifications, you are to ready the Night-Night pistols and the Night-Night rifle."

"The DTX-H's and DTX-R, sir."

"Excuse me?"

"Those are their official names. I've already submitted them to the armory database. DTX is just 'dendrotoxin' shortened. H stands for 'handheld' and R stands for 'rifle.' The drones that electrocute are the HRE-P and HRE-N. HR stands for 'hovering robotics,' E stands for 'electrocute,' and P and N stand for 'positive' and 'negative,' regarding their charges. And the ones with the darts are the HRDTX-Ps. P stands for 'projectile.' And the _phasers_, as Skye called them, are actually called LPD-100s. That's 'laser projecting device.' It shoots a hundred shots per charge."

Ward used to wish Fitz would stop giving cutesy names to his creations. Now he wished he'd never made that first wish.

"The order stands. You are not to use those new drones or those phasers unless you've modified them. Ready the _Night-Night _guns."

Coulson turned and walked out of the lab. An uncomfortable silence followed his departure. After several seconds, Skye was the one brave enough to break it.

"It's going to be ok, Leo." He didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard her, and Ward wanted to punch his friend for his disrespect. "We'll bring Jemma back….Do you need any help with the modifications?"

"No." His reply was curt, but Skye—who Ward now realized was a great deal more patient than he was—ignored the rudeness.

"We could stay here with you."

"You'll only distract me. I appreciate what you both are doing. But I now have about 110 minutes to modify these things, and I don't need you two watching over my shoulder. Just go upstairs. I'll be fine." He must have sensed both Ward's and Skye's hesitance because he added, "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course we trust you!"

"Then trust that I'll be fine by myself here, in the lab, where I'd spent most of my waking hours for the past several months."

"We're just worried about y—

"Skye, stop." Ward interrupted gently. Then he turned to Fitz. "Fine. We'll go. We trust you, Fitz. Just promise you'll call us immediately if you need _anything_." He waited until he received a nod from Fitz before placing an arm around Skye's shoulder and pulling her along with him out of the lab.

About ninety minutes later, the BUS was hovering several miles above the villa. The cameras Fitz created and installed were able to zoom in much closer than the satellites, and they were able to gather more information on the villa and the guards. The cameras' thermographic capabilities even allowed them to decipher where inside the compound Simmons was most likely being held.

Throughout those ninety minutes, either Ward or Skye would occasionally check into the lab surveillance feed to make sure Fitz was all right. Ward even caught Coulson doing the same thing a couple of times.

Overall, everything was looking great. Coulson and headquarters have come up with a suitable plan for Simmons' extraction and Quinn's capture using the intel their team and the Ops teams have gathered. They were now on their way to rendezvous with the Ops Team, and it was only a matter of time before they stormed the villa and rescued Simmons.

Suddenly, alarms started beeping. In a rare moment of déjà vu, Ward watched in horror as the monitors showed the cargo loading ramp lowering. Ward immediately ran for the stairs leading down to the upper desk. He ran past the common area and towards the stairs leading to the lab. Only to find the door stuck. Fitz had jammed it from the other side.

Coulson and Skye were by his side a second later trying to help him open the door.

"He's not stupid enough to jump, right?" Ward asked them as he started kicking the metal door. "He doesn't even know how to! (_kick_) He was struggling with the straps the last time he tried to jump after Simmons. (_kick_)"

"I think he's determined to save his best friend no matter what the cost is to himself." Coulson's answer was not one Ward wanted to hear.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" May demanded as she ran towards them.

"Fitz," was all Skye said. And May immediately understood.

"Step aside, Ward," May commanded. As soon as Ward moved away, May did a jump kick at the door so forceful that the door swung opened and hit the wall with a loud thud.

The other three just stared at her for a second, all clearly impressed.

"It's all in the placement of the kick," she explained nonchalantly. Then she led the way down the stairs into the cargo hold. Sure enough, the loading ramp had been lowered. They ran into the lab.

On the table were the Night-Night rifle and four Night-Night pistols; all ready to go and with extra ammo prepped right beside them. But the cases holding the newly developed weapons were now empty.

Unsurprisingly, Fitz was no where to be found.

Surprisingly, neither was Lola.


End file.
